Social BehaviorSocial Psychology: TopicsSlide Number 3Slide Number 4Evaluating Stanford StudyConformity and ObedienceSlide Number 7Milgram’s Study, cont. Slide Number 9Slide Number 10Slide Number 11Slide Number 12Slide Number 13Slide Number 14Slide Number 15Slide Number 16Slide Number 17Slide Number 18Slide Number 19Slide Number 20Slide Number 21Slide Number 22Slide Number 23Slide Number 24Slide Number 25Slide Number 26Slide Number 27Social BehaviorChapter 15Social Psychology: Topics Conformity and obedience Stanford Study Milgram’s Study processes Attitudes Behavior in groups . Social Loafing Person perception Stereotypes and PrejudiceStanford Prison Studyz Question− How do people react when given particular roles?z Participants− Healthy young men, agreed to stay for 2 weeks (paid)− Randomly assigned to be prisoners or guardsz Results− “ ” – distressed, helpless, & panicky− “Guards” – some mean, malicious, and abusivez Study was ended after daysLearning Objective 7Evaluating Stanford Study Attributed behavior to influence of social roles about how to behave of the situation  Leads some people to abuseConformity and Obedience Asch’s studies Group size and group unanimity  studies Question: Would people obey an authority and violate their own ethical standardsMilgram’s Obedience Studyz Method− Participants told that the experiment was investigating the effect of on learning− Instructed to another person when an error was made− supposed to be given in ascending sequenceLMilgram’s Study, cont.  Results participants gave some shock gave all shocks despite cries of pain Many participants , but backed down when told to continue Criticisms of study Subjects were highly stressed Extensive without consentMilgram’s Study: Factors Affecting Obediencez When leaves room z Victim right there in roomz Two issuing conflicting demandsz Non-professionalz Peers in room togetherz .Milgram Conclusionsz Obedience is a function of , not personalityz Relationship to authority affects obedienceLearning Objective 5Attributionsz Attribution theory− People are motivated to explain their own and others’ .− Attribute the behavior to a or disposition− = external attributions−Disposition = internal attributionsAttributionsz Actor-Observer Biasz Tendency to attribute other people’s behavior to factors, and our own behavior to the situation. z attribution error− Tendency to dispositional factors when explaining others’ behavior− Affected by culture (more common in individualistic cultures)Attributionsz Self-serving bias− When dealing with your own behavior:z Attribute “ ” actions to dispositionz Attribute “ ” actions to situation− Affected by culture (more prevalent in Western cultures)z Just-world hypothesis− Need to believe that good people are rewarded and bad people are punished− Can lead to the victimLearningAttitudesz Stable containing beliefs and emotional feelings about a topicz Positive or negative evaluationszExplicit (we are aware of them)z (influence our behavior, but we are not aware)z Dimensions: Strength, , and AmbivalencezStrength and accessibility are correlatedFigure 15.7 The possible components of attitudesFactors Influencing Changes in Attitudez factors (person sending message)− Credibility− Expertise or Trustworthiness− Likeability− attractivenessz Message factors− Two-sided arguments− Validity effect ( matters!)− Fear-arousingFactors Influencing Changes in Attitudez factors− Forewarning− Disconfirmation bias− of existing attitudez theoryz Classical conditioning (pair products with positive emotions) z Operant conditioningOverview: Factors Influencing Attitude Changez Social environment− Repetition increases feelings− Exposure to a particular perspective from an admired person− Linking message to good feelings (classical conditioning)z behavior− Need for consistency− Cognitive : Occurs when a person holds a belief that is incongruent with his or her behaviorCoercive Persuasionz Under or emotional stressz Problems are reduced to one simple explanation, oftenz Leader offers love, acceptance, attention, and other positive thingsz New “identity” is exhibited, based on group normsz Entrapmentz Access to is controlledConformity in Real Lifez Jonesville (1978)z Branch Davidians z Switzerland cultz Terrorists?.z Tendency for all members of a group to think alike and suppress dissentz Pressure to conformz Occurs when need for agreement overwhelms the need to make the wisest decisionz Can lead to disastrous decisions− explosion?z Counteracted by:− Rewards for dissent or critical thinking− Basing decisions on majority rule (instead of requiring unanimity)Social loafingz More likely when:− Members are not for their work− Working harder duplicates efforts− Workers feel others are getting a “free ride”− Work is .z Less likely when:− Individuals are held responsible− Each individual must make a distinct, necessary contribution− Challenge of the job is .Stereotypesz Belief that all members of a group share common (positive, negative, or neutral)z Helps processing of new information, organizing experiences, predicting how people will behavez Distort reality− differences between groups− Produce selective perception− differences within groupsPrejudicez Negative characterized by a strong, unreasonable dislike of a group or its membersz Originsz Memory bias (remembering only the negative, and forgetting the positive)z attribution biasz Observational learning z to social identityDefining & Measuring Prejudicez Prejudice can take many formsz norms against prejudice− Report prejudice, even if prejudice existsz Makes prejudice difficult to study− Studies of “ prejudice”z Measure behavior other than self-reported attitudesz Measure word associations with different target groupsReducing Prejudicez Both sides have equal , economic opportunities, & powerz Authorities egalitarian normsz Both sides work and socialize togetherz Both sides work toward a goalLearning Objective 11Take-home pointsz All humans have potential for good and evilz Often depends more on social organization than human naturez No is wholly virtuous or